Savanna Safaris 'Touch the wild'
For an unforgettable game viewing and photographic safari.
Victoria Falls
"No one can imagine the beauty of the view from anything witnessed in England. It had never been seen before by European eyes; but scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight", David Livingstone wrote after seeing the falls for the first time on November 17 1855.
Livingstone had been told about the falls before he reached them from upriver and was paddled across to a small island that now bears the name Livingstone Island. Livingstone had previously been impressed by the Ngonye Falls further upstream, but found the new falls much more impressive, and named them after Queen Victoria.
The local people had known it for years, the southern Tonga people known as the Batoka/Tokaleya who called the falls Shungu na mutitima. The Matabele, a break away group from Tshaka of the Zulu, named them aManzi aThunqayo, and the Makololo called them Mosi-oa-Tunya. All these names mean essentially the same thing, 'the smoke that thunders. Victoria Falls is one of the 7 wonders of the world; one of Africa’s major tourist attraction and indeed one of the world’s most prolific and spectacular falls.
Structural Make up
For a considerable distance above the falls, the Zambezi flows over a level sheet of basalt, in a shallow bounded by low and distant sandstone hills. The river's course is dotted with numerous tree-clad islands, which increase in number as the river approaches the falls. There are no mountains, escarpments, or deep valleys which might create a waterfall, only flat plateau extending hundreds of kilometres in all directions.
The falls are 1,7 kilometres wide and nearly 550 million litres of water cascade 70 to 108 metres into the chasm below – every minute – during the Zambezi River’s peak flow. Victoria Falls is made of five different “falls”. Four of these are in Zimbabwe: The Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls and Horseshoe Falls – and one, The Eastern Cataract, is in the bordering country of Zambia. Below is the boiling point, this place is appropriately named to describe the turmoil where water from opposite sides of the falls collide in the Zambezi River as it turns in a southeasterly direction passing through several gorges.
The Victoria Falls are roughly twice the height of North America's Niagara Falls and well over twice the width of its horseshoe falls. In height and width Victoria Falls is only rivalled by South America's Iguazu Falls which is divided into over 270 smaller falls and cataracts.
Flood and dry season flow rates
The Zambezi basin above the falls experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, and a dry season for the rest of the year. The river's annual flood season is February to May with a peak in April, and this is when the falls is the most impressive in terms of power and its thunderous rumbling sound. The spray from the falls rises typically to a height of over 400 metres (1300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km (30 miles) away. At full moon, a "moonbow" can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow. During the flood season however it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist. Close to the edge of the cliff, spray shoots upwards like reversed rain, especially at Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge.
The best time to see Victoria Falls depends on what you want to see. May to August offers the best compromise between a flow rate which impresses with its power, and the falls not being obscured by spray.
Other attractions near the Falls
The Big Tree The tree which has withstood the test of time is 16 metres in diameter and 20 metres tall. It is believed to be over 1000 years old and is thought to be only one third of the way to its full life expectation.
Victoria Falls Bridge
Having been designed in England, the bridge was transported from Europe in pieces and was assembled on site, bridging the Zambezi River and linking Zimbabwe and Zambia in 1906. The bridge is also renowned for its popular bungee jumping.
The Game Park
Zambezi National Park together with Victoria Falls National Park cover an area of 56,000 hectares. A wide variety of larger mammals may be found within the Zambezi National Park including The Big Five: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and white rhinoceros. In addition, herds of sable antelope, eland, zebra, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck and impala as well as many of the smaller species of game can be viewed. The Zambezi River is home to a large variety of fish and is famous for its bream and fighting tiger fish.Zambezi National Park has two main game-viewing sections: the Zambezi River Game Drive, with an extensive network of roads along the river accessed through the main gate of the Park, and the 25 kilometre Chamabondo Game Drive in the southern part of the Park, which begins about 5 kilometres outside of Victoria Falls town – just off the main road to Bulawayo.
Camping Sites
For an unforgettable wilderness experience, there are 4 minimum development camping sites available in the Park. Situated on the banks of the Zambezi, these areas are unfenced and completely in the wild and are equipped with a braai stand. Chundu 1 (25 kilometres upstream from the reception office) and Chundu 2 (26 kilometres) are situated in an acacia forest close to the river’s edge. Chomuzi (40 kilometres) is sited near some rapids and Siamunungu (47 kilometres) is located at the end of the Zambezi River Drive on a particularly lovely stretch of the river. Each camp can accommodate a maximum of 12 people. These sites are attractively situated on the banks of the river and sheltered beneath the beautiful shady riverine vegetation.
Other activities
Include guided tours, bungee jumping at the Victoria falls bridge, whitewater rafting, helicopter and micro-light flights over the Falls, tribal dancing, etc
Flood and dry season flow rates
The Zambezi basin above the falls experiences a rainy season from late November to early April, and a dry season for the rest of the year. The river's annual flood season is February to May with a peak in April, and this is when the falls is the most impressive in terms of power and its thunderous rumbling sound. The spray from the falls rises typically to a height of over 400 metres (1300 ft), and sometimes even twice as high, and is visible from up to 50 km (30 miles) away. At full moon, a "moonbow" can be seen in the spray instead of the usual daylight rainbow. During the flood season however it is impossible to see the foot of the falls and most of its face, and the walks along the cliff opposite it are in a constant shower and shrouded in mist. Close to the edge of the cliff, spray shoots upwards like reversed rain, especially at Zambia's Knife-Edge Bridge.
The best time to see Victoria Falls depends on what you want to see. May to August offers the best compromise between a flow rate which impresses with its power, and the falls not being obscured by spray.
Other attractions near the Falls
The Big Tree The tree which has withstood the test of time is 16 metres in diameter and 20 metres tall. It is believed to be over 1000 years old and is thought to be only one third of the way to its full life expectation.
Victoria Falls Bridge
Having been designed in England, the bridge was transported from Europe in pieces and was assembled on site, bridging the Zambezi River and linking Zimbabwe and Zambia in 1906. The bridge is also renowned for its popular bungee jumping.
The Game Park
Zambezi National Park together with Victoria Falls National Park cover an area of 56,000 hectares. A wide variety of larger mammals may be found within the Zambezi National Park including The Big Five: elephant, lion, buffalo, leopard and white rhinoceros. In addition, herds of sable antelope, eland, zebra, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck and impala as well as many of the smaller species of game can be viewed. The Zambezi River is home to a large variety of fish and is famous for its bream and fighting tiger fish.Zambezi National Park has two main game-viewing sections: the Zambezi River Game Drive, with an extensive network of roads along the river accessed through the main gate of the Park, and the 25 kilometre Chamabondo Game Drive in the southern part of the Park, which begins about 5 kilometres outside of Victoria Falls town – just off the main road to Bulawayo.
Camping Sites
For an unforgettable wilderness experience, there are 4 minimum development camping sites available in the Park. Situated on the banks of the Zambezi, these areas are unfenced and completely in the wild and are equipped with a braai stand. Chundu 1 (25 kilometres upstream from the reception office) and Chundu 2 (26 kilometres) are situated in an acacia forest close to the river’s edge. Chomuzi (40 kilometres) is sited near some rapids and Siamunungu (47 kilometres) is located at the end of the Zambezi River Drive on a particularly lovely stretch of the river. Each camp can accommodate a maximum of 12 people. These sites are attractively situated on the banks of the river and sheltered beneath the beautiful shady riverine vegetation.
Other activities
Include guided tours, bungee jumping at the Victoria falls bridge, whitewater rafting, helicopter and micro-light flights over the Falls, tribal dancing, etc
